The Burnt Back
by Diana Raven
Summary: One-shot told from Roy's P.O.V. A story about when he burned her back. T but I'm a little paranoid, because hello, the title even, also a smattering of Royai because I couldn't help myself.


**I KNOW I KNOW. I have a story to begin and other stories to update but I had to post this one-shot that I had written at camp and then forgot to post. So here it is.**

 **XOX**

 **~ Diana**

* * *

Roy P.O.V.

The sun was burning the ground with a fiery gaze that day. Sweat poured down my back, making my uniform stick uncomfortably in places it shouldn't have. Her request had been simple and to the point, but it reverberated around my mind.

I want you to burn this off my back.

"A-are you sure?" I asked. My voice hoarse. My tongue felt heavy, and sluggish.

"Please!" She begged. She closed her eyes as if she believed I would do it right at that moment, but I didn't. "Just-just do it."

I studied her beautiful, smooth skin. The tattoos of my alchemy danced in the light as a bead of sweat dripped down her bare back. I didn't want to hurt her and I knew that if I did this she would never be the same. Her future flashed before my eyes and I saw the pain of losing her while the doctors were taking care of her. I saw the pain of her never being able to shoot again, to stay in the military, stay by my side. The pain of losing her trust. That every time I would look at her all I would be able to hear are her screams. I felt sick.

"Sir." She said, jolting me out of my daze. She had a horrible sense of urgency in her voice.

"Yes?"

"Can you do this? Sir, I am naked in a desert near a military encampment. We need to do this now. I need you to do this now."

"O-of course." I cleared my throat. I pushed the thoughts of her future away. I raised my gloved fingers and repeated an action I have done so many times before, I snapped.

At first she didn't react. All I heard was the crackle of the fire and the distant bombings that scorched the land of Ishval. Then she screamed. It was a scream of pain. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth, she wanted this. She had told me so. But the screams blistered my ears like my fire on her back so I waved my hands and the fire disappeared. A stench that I had recently gotten used to burned my nostrils anew, only now it was mixed with Riza's honeysuckle scent. Riza's breathing was heavy.

"Is- is it gone?" She choked out, gasping for air as if that would help ease the pain in her torso.

I swallowed. I couldn't lie to her. "No."

She whipped her head around. Her honey colored hair was dark with sweat and her blue eyes were cold and murderous. I finally understood why she became a sniper, why my beautiful, sweet, innocent Riza became a killing machine, The Hawk's Eye. Her eyes could have killed me if possible then.

"I don't want to hurt you." I said meekly. Her stony glare pierced my heart and I concentrated. I won't fail you again, Riza. I promise. I took a deep breath and swallowed bile that rose back down. I started new, in a different spot.

This time she didn't scream. She didn't even grunt. No sounds escaped from her mouth as she clenched it shut around her shirt. I noticed her waver and her eyes close a bit. When she pitched forward and passed out from the pain I ended the fire that was eating her back.

I wrapped her in my arms and ran back to the camp. My heart pounded with every step and my feet crushed the ground as i ran. I screamed for a doctor- for someone- anyone to help her. I got weird looks and ignored them. Maes jogged up to me.

"Please," I begged, "get her help."

Maes took Riza gingerly in his arms and readjusted her so he had one had free. He slapped me, the sting didn't register but the action itself did.

"Maes! What the fu-"

"You're crying, idiot! Do you want to end up like Armstrong?" He hissed.

What?

I felt my cheeks and wiped the hot tears that were running down my face. Breathe. In and out. In and out. In and out...

"Don't say anything to anyone about this." Maes ordered. "You will walk away calmly from this conversation and go to your tent. You will wait for me there. Do you understand me?"

"Maes-" I growled but he cut me off.

His dark eyes glaring at me from behind his glasses. "I said do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now go." I did as he said and waited impatiently for him to come back.

Damn it. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Damn it. Fuck. DAMN IT RIZA! How could you-? Calm down. I took a deep breath. How could you ask me to hurt you like that? That would be like hurting Vanessa or- no. That's not a good comparison. It's like me hurting... hurting... like me hurting the woman in the world that I-I trust. That I trust the most. I could never do that. Why would she think could?

"Major Mustang?" I turned around and saw Major McDougal.

"Yes?"

"We need you on the battlefield." My mouth went dry. No! I needed to stay and see Riza! I never appreciated Maes more than at that moment.

"Major McDougal?"

"Captain Hughes." Maes snapped into a salute and the other State Alchemist returned the gesture.

"What are you doing here sir?" Maes asked politely.

"Major Mustang is required on the battle field."

Maes assessed the situation and broke into a grin. "It requires fire, does it sir?" He said almost rhetorically and gaily. How we never got in trouble for this, I'll never know. But Maes was special and everyone loved him no matter how annoying he was.

"Well not exactly, but-"

"You would rather have a better, more focused alchemist. And there is no better than Major Kimblee." He said it like it was common knowledge and for some unknown reason Major McDougal agreed with him.

"You're right. He has better explosive power." The Alchemist turned and marched away, leaving Maes with me.

Now Maes turned to me and sat down. "Here's the story. The two of you were attacked by Ishvalans and they ended up using fire to burn Riza. You disintegrated them all, in the heat of the battle." He paused, laughing at his own joke, "get it? Heat?"

"I get it."

"Anyways, you took off her shirt to get the fabric away from her flesh."

"But her shirt wasn't burnt."

"Don't worry about that." Maes said dismissively. I was stunned. Maes amazing ability to concoct and produce evidence for lies and fake situations was unbelievable. When the military realized this he would probably become the next Fuhrer or something (as much as I wanted the position).

"Go get your girl Roy." Maes ordered. "But I do deserve an explanation." I could've kissed that man.

"Thank you Maes."

Maes smiled sadly. "Anytime Roy."

I ran to the hospital tent as fast as my feet could take me. About five minutes before I would have gotten to it I slowed, catching my breath and readying myself for the worse.

"Can you please leave?" Riza's soft voice asked the nurses. I stared numbly at the woman in front of me. I had burned part of her back and betrayed her trust, and I still had the nerve to think that she was beautiful. To wish that she even liked me, that she wished to be near me, to even see me again.

The nurses left the tent and Riza's beautiful blue eyes pierced my own.

"Cadet Hawkeye-" I began. Riza raised a hand to salute me and I shut my mouth.

"Major Mustang."

"Yes Cadet." The way she watched me... I bent my head down in shame. The look reminded me of the look she gave when I first visited her house to learn Flame Alchemy. Before any of this craziness. Before her burnt back.

"Please come here." She technically didn't order me but that's what it felt like. I shuffled forward. I felt the sting of a slap across my face. I hoped no one saw her do it, insubordination was a real crime. "I gave you one request." She said not unkindly, just... disappointed. My cheeks reddened, and not because of the slap. "I gave you one-" her breath hitched "one job. And you did nothing to my back."

"I know, I'm s-"

"Thank you."

Huh?

My confusion was displayed on my face, and she took my hand. It was so warm and soft. "My father would never have forgiven me- I would never have forgiven myself if I had destroyed all of the knowledge. What you burned off was enough that no one can adequately learn from me. I ask for your forgiveness."

"Why?"

"Because I realize now this is also your knowledge. It is not my place to destroy it."

"That's not true. And I should be the one asking you for forgiveness."

"I will always forgive you, sir."

"And I, you."

We stared at each other and I felt the sudden urge to kiss her, but I didn't. I smirked knowing that she would do worse than slap me and definitely be court-marshaled for it.

"I must let you get back to your treatment." I said. She nodded.

"Thank you for visiting, sir." All formalities, huh?

"Always." I responded. "And I expect the same if the positions were ever switched Cadet Hawkeye."

Riza grinned. "Of course, sir. I'd follow you into hell if you asked me to." And when she said that I knew what she meant was I love you. Which was a good thing, because I love you too.


End file.
